Govt: Need for hard relook at anaemia drive

New Delhi, November 25

With the incidence of anaemia rising significantly across all age groups over the past five years, the Health Ministry on Thursday said the anaemia prevention programme was not working and there was a need to take a hard relook at it.

“The anaemia prevention programme is not working and we need to review it, take a hard relook at it as to why it is faltering,” a top Health Ministry official said a day after the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS) showed that the proportion of anaemic children (6 to 59 months) had gone up to 67.1 per cent. There are 57.2 per cent anaemic women (15-49 years).

“The anaemia-free campaign was launched in 2019. We expected the anaemia burden to reduce or at least stay static, but the incidence has risen. We will have to redesign the plan and see whether to give iron supplements,” the ministry said. — TNS